


Nighttime Thunderstorms

by Quinnoid



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: (and background hurt), Comfort, Guilt, Happier than the tags might suggest, Nostalgia, Other, Thunderstorms, only canon backstory mentioned, set in the future on the channel, spoilers for up to 174
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27501781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinnoid/pseuds/Quinnoid
Summary: They’re staring out at the storm, watching the lightning crackle through the clouds with a strange mix of forlorn longing and love.
Relationships: Commander James Barnes & Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom, Commander James Barnes/Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Nighttime Thunderstorms

**Author's Note:**

> CelBarnes is quickly becoming a favorite ship of mine but good grief I have a hard time writing Barnes.
> 
> Edit bc I forgot a tag, sorry!

Barnes wakes up slowly to the sound of heavy rain and occasional peals of thunder. It takes him a moment to realize he’s alone in bed, that Cel’s familiar warmth is missing and their sharp knees aren’t poking into his side. (Seriously, how they manage to sleep with one knee practically drawn to their chin is beyond him.) With a silent groan, he sits up and rubs at his eyes. 

“Oh. Hey, Barnes.” Cel says uncharacteristically quietly from their little nook that overlooks a bit of the channel. They’re staring out at the storm, watching the lightning crackle through the clouds with a strange mix of forlorn longing and love. He can see them watching him too, out of the corner of their eye. 

“Hey. You alright?” Barnes asks. They don’t say anything. Barnes can’t tell what time it is, has never been able to read the overcomplicated contraption Cel made for telling time, but he’s pretty certain it’s early morning, much too early to be properly awake. When they still don’t acknowledge him, he grabs their favorite blanket and gets up. There’s no reason to make them talk if they don’t want to, but he’ll at least make sure they know he’s there for them. 

Cel blinks rapidly when Barnes reaches them and sighs when he drapes the blanket over their shoulders. Before he can do anything else, they tug at his arm gently, and he follows their direction until he’s sitting between their legs, leaning back against their chest. Their arms circle around him tight, and together, they quietly watch the lightning flickering through the clouds. Occasionally, a bright flash will strike the channel, illuminating the little stretch of beach. It’s a beautiful thing, and Barnes can understand why they love electricity so much.

“I miss them.” Cel says it so quietly, he almost doesn’t catch it. Another brilliant white flare lights up the sky, and this time, Barnes can see Cel’s reflection in the window. It looks like they’ve been crying. They take a shaky breath, and Barnes grabs their hands, lacing their fingers together. Cel squeezes his hands, and for a moment, leans forward so their forehead is resting against him. “Not just.. Not just the Vengeance crew. Everyone.”

“I know. You wanna talk about ‘em?” 

“No.” Cel looks back out at the storm. “This is enough.”

Barnes kisses the back of their hand. This isn’t a new thing. Despite saving the world multiple times, Cel still harbors enough guilt to sink his old Navy ship a hundred times over. Sometimes, that guilt bubbles over, especially during these nighttime storms. There’s something about the way the lightning dances in the clouds accompanied by the constant sounds of rain and crashing waves that dredges up old memories and feelings. Even he gets a little nostalgic for his first ship, for his crew and his commanding officer, for his old love. 

He’s shaken from his thoughts by Cel shifting. The storm’s lessened, the lightning strikes coming much less frequently and the rain slowly letting up.They sit up a bit straighter and kiss the top of his head. “Thank you.”

“You sure?” Barnes asks. He’s learned all the ways they close themself off while pretending they’re being open over the years, and this feels a lot like one of those times.

Cel huffs out a breathy laugh. “I’m alright Barnes. I promise.” They whisper and hug him a bit tighter. 

“Right. Good.” He turns, suppressing a wince when it pulls the scar on his hip taut, and leans in to kiss them. They meet him with the tiniest of grins, and when he pulls away, they’re still smiling that small, sweet smile. 

“Back to bed?”

“Yeah.” Barnes leads Cel back to bed, and waits for them to situate themself next to him. Almost immediately, they bring one knee up to their chest and he rolls his eyes with a smile. They yawn, throw one arm over Barnes, and after a moment, are snoring. Not too long after, Barnes is too.

**Author's Note:**

> There are much fewer synonyms for lightning than I remembered lmao


End file.
